Best Cruise Destinations for 2017

By Kacey Mya Bradley

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There’s perhaps no better way to celebrate the onset of summer than by planning your next cruise. The giant vessels can take you to just about any destination you can imagine, and they do so in style: while you travel, you will have access to entertainment, amenities and great food. In short, you’ll have a vacation while you travel to your actual destination.

It’s not hard to decide to go cruising, but it might be difficult to choose which destination best suits your plans. You might want to start by checking out Transat’s all-inclusive cruises and choosing your destination from there. We’ve also put together a list of the best cruise ship destinations for this year. Either way, pick one and set sail — you’ll be on your way to a vacation you won’t soon forget.

1. Eastern Caribbean: St. Martin, St. Lucia and Barbados

The idea of a cruise probably conjures up images of sunny Caribbean islands, white sand beaches and icy tropical beverages slowly melting in the sun. This is exactly the vibe you want on your vacation, of course, but you might be wary of heading south when everyone else is doing so too.

But a cruise around the Eastern Caribbean really never gets old, even if there are lots of other people with the same summer getaway idea. If you fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico, as your shipping-out point — which, by the way, has plenty of tourist draw on its own — you can head out to the gorgeous islands of St. Martin, St. Lucia and Barbados.

2. Western Caribbean: Mexico and Grand Cayman

Just as good as the Eastern Caribbean is the west, where you’ll hit the shores of Mexico and a few islands, too. A quick flight to Tampa can have you close to all of the cruise ships that head in that direction. Destinations like Cozumel, Costa Maya and Grand Cayman are just as quintessentially Caribbean, too, so get your best bikini and a bottle of sunscreen ready. You might want to grab a beer koozie, too.

3. New England and Canada

Canada was named one of the world’s top travel destinations in 2017, so why not explore by boat for a one-two punch of entertainment and tourism?
Canadian cruises tend to kick off from New England ports and head upwards, inviting guests to take part in such memorable activities as whale watching, onshore hiking, and kayaking. A true outdoor enthusiast will love this option.

4. Norway, Denmark and Iceland

When it comes to cruising Europe, the Mediterranean gets all of the attention. But the south Europe sea can be crowded and super-hot over the summer, so a more comfortable choice would be a northern European cruise. Don’t worry: you won’t be sacrificing any of the beauty or history that comes with a Mediterranean cruise, either.

Instead, your journey will take you to stunning landscapes in places like Norway, where sheer cliffs border crystal clear lakes. Denmark’s colourful cities will give you a bit of the cosmopolitan European vibe you likely crave. And a dip in Iceland’s famous Blue Lagoon will wrap up your trip with a well-known landmark.

5. Bermuda

Bermuda doesn’t get as much attention as the Caribbean because it isn’t warm year-round, but it has just as much of a tropical vibe to offer without as much foot traffic. The island is remote, located in the middle of the Atlantic, but ships from ports like Boston take cruisers to the warm, beachy destination. It has everything that you’d want from a relaxing island vacation, from secret beaches, to snorkelling, to parasailing.

If you prefer something a little livelier, head to Bermuda during the America’s Cup, a boating race that will be held in Bermuda this year. Several cruise ships even have specific journeys centred around catching the action.

6. Alaska

Cruisers can go to Alaska only during spring and summer, so now’s the perfect time to head out. Alaska is just about as rugged as you imagine it to be, which means you’ll be able to see everything from glaciers, to bears, to bald eagles as you explore the northwestern state.

Alaska is a huge state, and there’s a lot to explore by land, so cruising gives you the best of both worlds: a view of the state’s landscape and a chance to explore its natural wonders on foot. To make sure you see it all, check the ship’s itinerary against the top sights in Alaska. After you slip by glaciers and then dock, you can disembark from the ship for hiking, dogsledding and train rides that take you into Alaska’s lush rainforest. How’s that for variety?

These are only six of the many, many itineraries out there for your next cruise. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how much you want to see — or how much time you want to spend lounging on a beach — before you book your voyage. And, before you know it, you’ll be walking up onto the ship deck, ready to depart on your 2017 cruise.

Transat is Canada’s leading holiday travel airline. Every year, it carries some 3 million passengers to nearly 60 destinations in 30 countries aboard its fleet of Boeing narrow-body and Airbus wide-body jets. Air Transat is a business unit of Transat A.T. Inc., an integrated international tour operator with more than 60 destination countries and that distributes products in over 50 countries. Transat was named Best North American Leisure Airline at the Skytrax annual World Airline Awards, held in June 2015.

Kacey Mya Bradley

Kacey Mya Bradley is a lifestyle blogger for “The Drifter Collective.” Throughout her life, she has found excitement in the world around her. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations, cultures, and styles, while communicating these endeavors through her passion for writing and expression. Her love for the world around her is portrayed through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts.

The Drifter Collective: An eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us.

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